Chapter Five

I Really Want to Kiss You

He could not make a sound; the tiniest mistake could be disastrous in this situation. Gohan had always been a light sleeper and, this particular morning, the little six-year-old needed his brother to stay asleep while he reached the school bag hanging on the desk chair.

Goten grinned to himself, all excited about today. He clutched the small box in his chubby little hands and tiptoed towards his goal, being extra careful as he went; in moments like this Goten wished he knew how to fly – but that wasn't the issue right now. Right now, the tiny little fighter needed to accomplish his task without being noticed by the sleeping older boy on the second futon.

He heard Gohan suddenly inhale sharply and became completely still, anxious that his brother had woken up before he could slip the very special items into his bag. And then he let out a silent sigh of relief, reassured that Gohan was still sleeping soundly. Ever so slowly, he opened the beige satchel and slipped the box inside. A folded paper followed, as well as a note, and Goten smiled in gleeful satisfaction as he proceeded to zip the bag closed.

"Gohan! Goten! Breakfast is ready!" Chichi shouted from the kitchen.

Goten was back on his futon in less than a moment, his heart beating erratically in his chest while he nervously watched his brother waking up.

"Hey there, lil' buddy," were Gohan's first words when he opened his eyes, his voice hoarse from sleep. Goten grinned from ear to ear and jumped in his big bro's bed, hugging him tightly.

"Happy birthday, Gohan!"

x

It was, by far, Gohan's favorite moment of the day. Every year, Goten would jump on his bed to hug him and wish him a happy birthday the very moment he woke up – just so that he could be the first to wish it to him.

"Thank you, Goten," Gohan said, smiling warmly. He ruffled the little one's wild hair and Goten only grinned wider.

"Gohan! Goten! Hurry up or the food will get cold!" called their mother again.

It was all they needed to hear to rush to the kitchen and sit down around the table. Since today was a special day, the tablecloth was filled with all of Gohan's favorites. It smelled intoxicatingly delicious.

Chichi came behind him and gave him a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek, "Happy birthday, my little Gohan."

He smiled, holding her arm affectionately as she hugged him. "Thanks, Mom. This looks amazing," he said, motioning to the mouth-watering dishes on the table.

"You're welcome, sweetie," she replied, giving him another kiss before releasing him. She passed by Goten and hugged him as well, kissing his forehead and gently stroking his hair. "And you be good today, okay? I know you wish Gohan could stay home today but he can't miss school, so we're going to celebrate his birthday once he gets back, all right?"

Goten nodded his head solemnly, and Chichi patted his head softly with a proud smile.

The breakfast on his birthdays were the most amazing meals of the whole year, and considering how excellent a cook his mother was, that was saying something. She always outdid herself for him and Goten, and deep down Gohan also wished that he could've spent his birthday home with his family, instead of going to school.

But with Chichi as your mother, you don't even mention something like that. Birthday or not.

His stomach delightfully filled, he headed off to school with not a care in the world.

But when he got to the city and dropped off the golden magic cloud to walk the rest of the way, he heard the all too familiar sound of police sirens nearby. Gohan sighed and ran towards the ruckus, observing that a bank was, yet again, the target of robbers.

He got to a secluded spot then quickly jumped onto the roof of a nearby building. There, he put down his school bag, took off his t-shirt then his long-sleeved shirt with the Orange Star High badge, then put back the white t-shirt and left it untucked; along with the Super Saiyan transformation, Gohan figured that was enough not to be recognized. Just as he was about to complete the look and go Super, however, a particular, yellow jetcopter zoomed in and landed by the police cars below. The name Satan tagged on the flying vehicle was pretty hard to miss.

Crap…

Usually, Gohan would be more than glad to see Videl on any occasion, but he'd decided to avoid her as 'Saiyaman' as much as possible considering he wanted her to like the real him and not just the Super Saiyan side of him. He'd managed well so far since their second encounter, but now…

Gohan pondered his options. Videl had been fighting crime since she was fourteen years old, so she knew what she was doing. He could stand by and let her deal with the robbery. He could wait until she actually needed him. After all, she wasn't alone; there was a good number of police officers backing her up. She was going to be all right, wasn't she? She should be.

If only he weren't such a worry wart.

"Dang it," he muttered to himself, turning Super Saiyan in a blink and rushing inside the bank unnoticed.

x

Whoosh~

Her fist was just colliding with a hooded face when Videl felt the odd gust of wind. And like the man she had just knocked out, all of his accomplices fell to the floor in a split second.

She stared at his tall, strong figure and her heart picked up. Saiyaman turned around and looked at her – deep, teal eyes piercing through her.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" he asked, smirking.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, the tiniest smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Shouldn't you? You look pretty young to me."

He cracked a smile, amusement dancing in his teal colored eyes.

And then he looked at his watch. "Well, I need to get going. See you around."

And just like that, he was gone. Vanished. And Videl felt… disappointed. She'd really looked forward to bumping into him again and yet he just… left. Said a few words to her and that was it. She was confused and a bit annoyed; after all, he'd been the one flirting with her. And yes, she did enjoy it and even flirted back, but just now he'd pretty much avoided her. What the hell was that about? What was up with that guy?

Huffing and puffing on her way to school, Videl berated herself for falling for the guy's play. Obviously, it had just been a game to him – well he wouldn't catch her playing along again, that was for sure.

"Guys," she grumbled in bad faith. "All the same."

When she got to Orange Star High, walking along the hallway to her locker, she was still muttering to herself and cursing that damned superhero. Erasa couldn't have been more wrong – his Lois Lane? As if.

"Um… hello, Videl."

She turned and somehow a smile easily formed on her previously scowling lips. "Hey, Gohan. How's it going?"

Who needed Saiyaman anyway? Gohan was a much more reliable guy – friend, she corrected herself mentally. He cracked a smile, leaning back against the row of lockers, his eyes not leaving hers as she shut her locker.

He's just a friend, Videl reminded herself, purposely ignoring the fluttering sensation in her chest. Just a friend, with an adorable smile that could melt her heart.

Nothing to worry about, right?

x

Man, he was really falling for that girl, wasn't he? Just seeing her smile at him was enough to make his day.

"I'm doing well," he replied, grinning. "Just had the best breakfast ever."

She chuckled. "Is that so? Lucky you, I barely had time to finish a toast earlier. A police call again," she said, rolling her eyes.

Gohan frowned in concern. He had been so preoccupied to quickly leave the bank earlier that he didn't even make sure she was okay. He mentally berated himself and moved closer to her, watching carefully for any sign of injury.

x

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

He was close, too close. Way too close.

Her breath was caught in her throat and her heart was going crazy, pounding so hard against her ribcage she wouldn't be surprised if everybody could hear it. She opened her mouth to say that she was fine – but Gohan lifted her left arm slightly and inspected it. And all air left her lungs.

His feather-like touch was making her whole being melt and burn at the same time. Her knees felt weak, as though they suddenly couldn't bear her weight. Videl swallowed, commanding herself to look away; his caring, deep onyx eyes were dangerous, too dangerous. They were drawing her in, attracting her like a magnet; they were enchanting, hypnotizing, and way too tempting… And his voice… His gentle, low tone was directing her gaze to his lips – and it stopped there.

Close… So close…

The bell rang, and Videl snapped out of it. She turned away muttering, "Well, see you later," and she rushed away from him – from his tempting eyes and lips, from his electrifying touch; from the irresistible attraction that pulled her to him, no matter how much she struggled against it.

Damn that Gohan. What was he doing to her?

It was bad, and it kept getting worse. Why couldn't she fight it? Why was it so hard to get away from him? It shouldn't be so difficult. He was just a guy. Just a friend, a good friend. Okay, fine, she admitted that she was kind of attracted to him – but really, what girl in this school wasn't? And yes, she liked it when he looked at her and smiled at her, and she liked his scent and his voice. And his gentleness, and his sense of humor, and the natural kindness in his black eyes, and she'd really like to know more about him and spend more time with him.

But Erasa saw him first.

She was among the first to get to class, with how fast she practically ran there, away from Gohan. She sat down at her usual seat and opened her backpack, getting her things out to prepare for the class. Her hand paused inside her bag, and Videl looked at the book Gohan had lent her. It was a dark novel, about a man watching his best friend marry a mysterious woman who little by little, would destroy his life. It was depressing and sometimes a bit scary, and it was a book she hadn't been able to put down and ended up finishing in one sitting.

Videl had meant to give it back to Gohan today and discuss it with him, but sometimes she wondered if she should be spending that much time with him. And if she should be enjoying his company so much.

Just as the second bell rang, Erasa sat down next to her, letting out a sigh of relief. "Phew," she said, "almost didn't make it on time. What's up?" she asked her.

"Nothing," replied Videl in a low voice.

The teacher started calling the roll and the classroom fell silent, apart from the student responding when being called. Videl was grateful for that. She didn't really feel like chitchatting with Erasa right now; she still felt confused by the effect Gohan was having on her, and while she wanted to figure out what her feelings meant, Videl was also scared to know for sure.

What if…

She gave a sharp shake of her head, focusing her attention on the teacher. No. She had nothing to worry about – Gohan was a friend, and nothing more.

Just a friend.

ooOoo

"Hey, Birthday Boy, where are you going?"

"Yeah, Birthday Boy, sit with us!"

"Come on, Birthday Boy!"

Gohan's face was a pretty deep shade of red at this point. His classmates seemed to enjoy teasing him – actually, everyone he knew loved to tease him for some reason. Was he that fun to fluster and embarrass? He often wondered so.

Earlier in class, the content of his satchel spilled out on the floor when it accidentally fell over, and somehow until then, he hadn't noticed the wrapped box placed in it, along with a folded drawing and a note, all courtesy of his little brother. The gesture was adorable, and he loved the thoughtful gifts his brother had made for him. There was a drawing of their family that Goten had done, with their mom, him, Goten, and he even drew their dad with wings and a halo and added a big green man that could only be Piccolo. All in all, it was a masterpiece, and Gohan loved it. In the box, Goten had managed to sculpt a small green statue representing Piccolo, and Gohan absolutely couldn't wait to show it to real life Piccolo; lastly, the note contained, in big, colorful letters: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOHAN! I LOVE YOU THE MOST! YOU'RE THE BEST BIG BROTHER EVER! – from: Goten.

All of this would have been awesome, if only his classmates hadn't decided it would be fun to show everybody each of his gifts, giving comments as they did, and even reading the note out loud.

"Aww, isn't that adorable? Your little brother must really adore you," one of the girls had said, sounding actually genuine.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. Gohan had put away his gifts very carefully, smiling to himself at his lil' bro's adorableness, and let his classmates tease him to their heart's content. He was fine with it, really – or maybe he was just used to being teased by everyone and anyone. In any case, Gohan didn't really mind it.

Now it was lunchtime, and while Gohan was walking through the cafeteria to go eat outside in the courtyard, some of his classmates started calling him out to join them. They were purposely loud, and in a matter of moments, everybody around him now knew that today was his birthday.

"I'm going to eat outside," he said to them over his shoulder. "I'll see you guys later."

Gohan looked around the courtyard, and a smile came to his face when he spotted the person he'd been looking for. Videl was sitting by herself under her usual tree, her eyes staring off in the distance while she munched on a sandwich. The birthday boy was almost skipping when he went to join her, and couldn't hide his cheerfulness when he asked if he could sit with her.

"Sure," she said casually, the tiniest smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

As he got out his lunch and started eating at a slow pace, his eyes kept shifting towards Videl. Gohan had always liked watching her, marveling at her natural beauty. Today, she looked somewhat pensive and maybe a bit distracted.

Gosh, she was so beautiful. He wished he could tell her just how stunning, breathtaking she was to him. Gohan wondered how she would react if he ever did.

"You know, today's my birthday," he said, smiling when she turned to look at him. Her blue eyes were one of the things he liked most about her – and since he got to know her, blue had become his favorite color.

"Oh really?" she chuckled. "May eleventh, huh. I guess I should memorize it for next year."

His heart picked up the slightest bit. Next year, she said, as if it was the most natural thing to think that they would still be friends by next year. Gohan grinned; hopefully, they would be more than friends by then. Hopefully.

"When is yours?" he asked, curious.

"August sixth," she said, leaning back against the tree trunk as she was finishing her sandwich. "You turned seventeen, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, nodding his head, and gave a small smirk. "Doesn't that mean I'm older than you now?"

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't suppress an amused smile. "Not for very long."

"You should be more respectful to your elders, young one," he joked, waving a finger at her.

And Videl laughed.

"Keep dreaming, old man," she said in between bouts of laughter.

Gohan swallowed. He just knew his face must be flaming red right now. But she was so… so… gorgeous – how could he not stare?

His hand reacted before his brain did, reaching up to tuck away a few strands of her silky dark hair behind her ear. Her laugh died out almost instantly; her eyes locked with his and he just couldn't look away.

He loved her. He was so in love with this girl – he just couldn't fight it anymore.

"G-Gohan…" she whispered, sounding out of breath. "Wh… What are you…?"

He was going to kiss her, that was what he was doing. He was going to kiss Videl right there and now, on his seventeenth birthday, and nothing was going to stop him from finally tasting her cherry pink lips.

Except for Videl herself, that is. He was but mere millimeters away from her lips when she placed both of her hands over his mouth, effectively stopping him. Gohan opened his eyes, dreading to see disgust or hatred, or even anger in her expression – but none of it reflected on her blue eyes.

She looked like she was… struggling, somehow. She looked sad and guilty and conflicted, and she was avoiding his gaze.

"You can't do that, Gohan." Her voice was but a whisper, uttering the words out with difficulty.

He tried to say, "Why not?" but her hands were still over his mouth and only muffled sounds came out. Videl seemed to understand him, however, and she shook her head in response.

"You just can't, okay? Promise me you won't try that again, or… or…" She bit down her lip, and then she looked at him with the most disheartened expression he had ever seen on her. "Or else we can't be friends anymore."

His heart shattered into a million pieces, along with his hopes. Videl removed her hands from his lips, but Gohan was unable to speak. His throat was dry, so tight and dry, and he swallowed with difficulty.

She was rejecting him.

Gohan couldn't believe it was happening. He had been so hopeful… He actually thought she might feel the same way about him, and yet…

He was heartbroken. He felt like he could cry, but he couldn't humiliate himself any further. It was bad enough that the girl he loved rejected him on his birthday.

"I'm so sorry, Gohan," she said, tears gathering in her eyes. His throat tightened. Oh no, not this. He didn't want to see her cry; it would only break his heart further – if that were even possible at this point…

"It… It's fine," he forced out, trying to smile. Good thing he had good practice with fake smiles. "I shouldn't have tried to…" He couldn't say it. It hurt too much. "Anyway, we're still friends, right?"

Videl smiled half-heartedly, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears, and then she did the worst thing she could have to his poor, poor heart: she hugged him, her arms around his neck. And she thanked him, over and over again, whispering to his ear.

And Gohan's arms reacted on their own, moving around her and holding her close against him. Having her like this, in his arms… Her sweet, peachy scent invading his nostrils, her breath brushing his ear, her soft, small body pressed against him, and her smooth skin… it was both the most amazing and heartbreaking feeling.

I love you, damn it, he screamed in his mind, his arms tightening around her, his eyes tightly shut. He hated this hopeless feeling that expanded rapidly in his chest. He didn't want them to be friends – he wanted to be with her. He wanted to be able to kiss her and go out on dates with her. And he wished he was allowed to love her, that he could show her just how much she meant to him.

If only that one dream could come true. But it was too late to make a wish and blow his birthday candles, now. It was too late; because Videl would never be his.

ooOoo

Gohan hopped down from Nimbus a few meters from the front door to his home and sighed heavily. He told himself to push Videl and what happened earlier that day out of his mind; it was his birthday, and he was going to celebrate it with his family. So far he'd been unsuccessful in not obsessing over the day's events, but maybe with Goten's excitement, he'd be able to forget for a little bit. He grimaced as he reached for the doorknob: his eyes felt hot and painful.

He walked through the front door and shut it back quietly. Leaving his shoes by the entrance, Gohan took a few steps into the living room, wondering why the lights were all off.

"SURPRISE!"

Well, that explained it. The lights were on in a flash, and all of his family and friends were reunited in the colorfully decorated room. There was even a banner to wish him a happy seventeenth birthday. Hiding their energy signatures had been pretty clever, Gohan mused.

"Happy birthday!" a chorus of voices shouted, not all at once. Gohan forced a broad smile and felt his eyes grow hot with unshed tears. It was only because he was so happy to see them, he told himself. It still didn't quell the painful, sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe his mother's delicious birthday dinner would help fill that aching void.